UCSB Study Says Marine Cloud Brightening Could Cut El Niño 61%
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 3
UCSB Study Says Marine Cloud Brightening Could Cut El Niño 61%
1 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 3
Summary
Eastern Pacific marine cloud brightening slashed El Niño-Southern Oscillation amplitude by about 61% in simulations, a UCSB-led study found, raising the risk that a climate-cooling intervention could sharply disrupt global weather.
Less than 2-kilometer-high sea-salt spraying cooled the ocean surface and reduced rainfall, setting off weaker circulation, stronger equatorial winds and more cold-water upwelling that collectively suppressed ENSO.
Stratospheric aerosol injection, which spreads sulfate particles more uniformly at higher altitude, showed almost no measurable effect on ENSO in the same analysis.
Researchers said the result does not rule out all marine cloud brightening, but warns against deploying it in the eastern Pacific, where ENSO helps shape California winters and Asian monsoon rains every 2 to 7 years.
The study adds to concerns that geoengineering should be judged not just by temperature reduction but by regional side effects, including possible hits to photosynthesis, crops and marine ecosystems.
To cool the planet, must we risk breaking the world's most powerful weather engine, El Niño?
With a 'Super El Niño' imminent, who should decide whether to gamble with Earth's climate system?
If one climate fix could cause chaos, is a different global-scale intervention the safer answer?
Suppressing Two-Thirds of ENSO Variability: The Risks and Global Consequences of Marine Cloud Brightening Geoengineering
Overview
A recent UCSB study found that using Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) in the subtropical eastern Pacific Ocean could dramatically reduce the natural variability of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with two-thirds of its variance disappearing. This surprising result highlights a potentially disruptive consequence of geoengineering, as suppressing ENSO could trigger strong chain reactions and far-reaching impacts on global climate systems. Researchers strongly advise against deploying MCB in this region, warning that such climate interventions can have complex and unpredictable effects, underscoring the need for caution and deeper understanding before moving forward.